The Darkness in Her Eyes
by barleyawake
Summary: Elli had always been a sweet and innocent girl. That all changes one night when she goes for a walk. Horrible things begin to happen in Mineral Town. All Elli knows is that she wakes up every morning remembering nothing from the previous night.
1. Prologue

She was a sweet girl. She never spoke out of turn in class, she always studied hard. She loved to take care of things, even as a small child. Everyone knew she'd make a career out of what she loved best. Nursing.

It was terrible what had happened to this girl when she had barley turned twelve. She wasn't yet living in Mineral Town when it happened.

Elli was a cheerful girl with long brown hair, swaying prettily past her back. Her large brown eyes always peered at you with love and admiration. It was impossible to say no to them. On her twelfth birthday, her mother was diagnosed with a terrible disease. Elli did all she could to support her mother, and younger brother, but in the end, her parents seemed to think that the sickness was to much for the young children to deal with. They were sent to go live with their grandmother Ellen in Mineral Town.

Elli remembered carrying her two year old brother into her grandmother's house that day. She remembered not saying much for about a week when she started being herself again. Ellen encouraged Elli to go and play with the other children in town. She was sad to see Elli spending all of her time trying to help she and Stu.

Elli agreed and walked outside, a cheerful grin spread across her face. She walked right and continued on her way until she stopped in front of the supermarket. Curious as she was, the girl walked inside, taking a look at all of the merchandise.

A pretty young blonde girl (She couldn't be much older than Elli) with green eyes casually walked up to Elli. "Hi. You must be that new chick, Elli. I live here. My mom and dad run the store." She was talking to Elli as if she'd known her forever.

"Oh. I'm Karen by the way." She flashed a glorious smile at Elli, who could not help but feel a little bit intimidated. She felt like a plane Jane in front of this girl, and wanted to leave before she felt completely worthless.

She did leave, minutes later, but not before smiling at Karen and wishing her well, like the good girl she was brought up to be. Elli continued walking until she faced a clinic. She excitedly ran in, wondering if they needed any nursing help. A middle aged couple worked here. A woman with dark brown hair and blue eyes stood at the desk, a serious expression in her eyes. A dark haired, dark eyed man sat at the examination desk, a very stern look on his face as well. She greeted them with a smile, and they smiled timidly back.

"Hello dear. Are you feeling sick?" asked the lady at the desk.

"Oh no. I'm fine. I just wanted to know if you needed any help. You know, with patients and stuff."

The lady chuckled, "You're sweet dear. Maybe in a few years, but I think we're fine how we are now. Why don't you talk to my son? I'm sure you'll like him. He's upstairs in his room. I think."

Elli hesitated briefly. Go inside a boy's room? In the end she agreed to be polite and slowly made her way up the stairs. She knocked sharply on the door. A few moments later a teenage boy opened it.

He looked to be about sixteen. He had messy black hair and dark piercing eyes. Elli's knees wobbled as she felt both intimidated and crush-struck at the sight of him.

"H-hi. I'm Elli. You're parents said I should meet you." She curtsied and smiled up at the handsome boy.

He looked down at her and blinked, not sure of what to say it seemed. "I'm Tim. I don't know what exactly they want me to say or do… so hello. I guess."

Elli was a bit taken aback by this. He _guessed?_ This boy may be good looking, but apparently he didn't know much in the manners department. Elli frowned. She really didn't want to get to know this family anymore. They didn't seem too nice, or fun.

That all happened years ago. Elli was now going on her 20th birthday. She had cut her hair into a cute bob. Stu was turning 9. Everything was falling into place in town. Elli had made her circle of friends close through the years. Ann was just about her best friend in the world. Mary the librarian, didn't really know her much, but she was okay. Several of the people in the village became friends because of her job. She now worked as Doctor Tim's assistant. He had become a good friend and boss!

Supposedly a new female farmer had moved into the old run-down ranch. Elli didn't see her often, but she did make appearances at the clinic every so often.

It was late on Wednesday night, and Elli decided to go on a short walk after visiting her grandma. She took short steps as she walked. Short and slow as she made her way to Mother's Hill. A place she never did seem to visit much.

Being outside so late proved to be a bit more frightening then she had anticipated. Her pace began to quicken as she thought she heard noises behind her. Her heart began to race, and she soon broke into a run. A black shadow passed over her. With a screech, Elli fell to the floor after tripping over something. A rock, perhaps.

She looked up in fright, quickly glancing around her, checking for an intruder. When she saw no one, the frightened expression in her eyes began to soften. She held her ankle, which had swollen up. She sighed quietly and gently tried pulling herself to her feet. She stopped when she felt a cold shadow pass over her again. The hair on her neck seemed to stand on end. She turned around quickly and screamed. Then everything went black.

* * *

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harvest Moon, sadly.**

**Okay, that's a wrap to the prologue. Yes, I know it's short. I just wanted to show a bit of Elli's innocence. **** Chapters will get longer. Anyway, feel free to read and review. -**


	2. 1 Waking

**Disclaimer: I don't own harvest Moon.**

**Okay, here's chapter 1. :) **

Elli slowly opened her eyes, and took a long glance at her surroundings. She was… in a bed. The clinic bed, with a cool cloth placed over her head. She struggled to sit up, but felt searing pain rush to her neck, head and back when she did this. She let out a screech of pain.

_What happened to me?_

The Doctor made his appearance in the room at that sound. He approached her and put a hand to her head.

"You better relax, Elli. You're still burning with fever and you're not in great shape." He stated.

Elli panicked a bit, "W-what happened to me?! I don't remember anything!" Tears began to fall from her chocolate brown eyes. She swiftly wiped them away,

Tim sighed. "I don't know. You were lucky that Claire found you when she did. Apparently you were lying in a heap near Mother's Hill. When she brought you here, it didn't look good. I can say now, you'll probably live."

Elli glared at him sternly for that last part, daring him to joke. "What was I doing on Mother's Hill? The last thing I remember was leaving Grandma's…"

Tim shrugged, "If I knew, I'd certainly tell you. For now, we're just trying to get you better. We'll worry about who hurt you later."

"How do you know anyone hurt me? I-I could have just tripped right?" Elli pleaded, looking frightened. Tim stared back into her eyes, and shook his head.

"I don't know. I'm sorry. I just am not certain yet, Elli." He answered.

She didn't even know what her wounds looked like. Were they all bandaged up? Was anything bleeding? Unfortunately, she wasn't allowed to get up. At least, not for a couple of days. She could barley sit up without her head spinning, let alone stand or walk. Her injuries and what had happened troubled her. She really couldn't remember a thing that happened, and that scared her the most.

People from the village began to visit her. Ann was the first, to Elli's delight. The redhead rushed right to Elli's side, a disapproving look crossing the tomboy's face.

"How could you just go wondering in the woods like that El? There are crazy people out there you know!" Ann scolded, but hugged her friend gently while doing so.

Elli sighed, "Ann, I don't even remember what happened to me! I don't remember walking out into the woods! All I remember is leaving my grandma's!" Tears began to fall from her eyes again.

Ann looked a bit regretful, but also a little annoyed, "Come on Elli… Pull it together. You're a tough girl." She patted her friend on the shoulder, a reassuring gesture to her.

Elli nodded, "Thanks…" she looked back up. "Tell me… How do I look?"

Ann blinked, "What?" She narrowed her eyes in confusion. "I thought you weren't like those girls who always cared about their looks. Unlike most people in this town." She rolled her eyes.

Elli shook her head with a small giggle. "No… I meant, how do my _injuries_ look? I mean, how bad is it…?

Ann looked her friend up and down. "Well, from what I see, it looks as if someone beat you up. Your face is all bruised and scratched. Your arms have gashes on them. Your neck looks like someone took a bite out of you for crying out loud."

Elli frowned. She knew there was more to her injuries then that. She felt pain in her lower back whenever she moved after all. "…That bad?" Elli asked fearfully.

Ann smacked her friend's shoulder, "Yeah. Don't worry though. You'll get over it. It'll pass like all things."

Elli winced in pain at the contact of Ann's hand, who rolled her eyes.

"Get a grip El. I'm not here to cry over you. I love you and all but…" She folded her arms, "Just get better, got it?" She looked at Elli jokingly.

Elli laughed, "Ok. Whatever you say Doctor Ann."

"Damn straight!" Ann boasted. She smiled warmly and looked up at the clock in the clinic. "Hey El, I've gotta get going. You know how crazy my hours are."

Elli nodded, "Ok Ann. Thanks for coming to see me. You're the best."

Ann gave Elli a strange look and tossed her head the other way dramatically, making her exit quite memorable.

Elli smiled, momentarily forgetting about her situation. She was immediately reminded of it when the doctor knocked and she turned her head sharply, only to feel searing pain in her neck.

Doctor seemed to look guilty at her literally pained expression, "How are you feeling?" he asked sincerely.

Elli took a gasping breath. "I-I'm better…"

He nodded, "Well, Stu and your grandmother are here to see you." The doctor stepped aside and allowed a small boy to rush inside the room.

"Elli! Are you okay sis?" Stu rushed to see Ell. He looked uncomfortable somehow.

Elli smiled at her brother, "I'm ok Stu. I'm just glad to see you!" She tousled her brother's already messy hair.

An old lady was slowly brought in on a wheel chair. Doctor brought her close to Elli's bedside, then took his leave.

"Grandma… you didn't have to get out of bed to see me." Elli muttered, feeling slightly guilty.

"Nonsense dear. You're my grand daughter. You can't expect me to just stay in my room at a time like this!" Ellen smiled warmly at her granddaughter.

"It's really not that bad, grandma…" Elli tried to sound convincing, "You don't need to worry about me."

"But sis! You were sleeping for 3 days!" Stu stomped his foot, "I thought you died!" Stu yelled.

Ellen looked slightly alarmed, "Stu! I won't have any of that yelling! And how dare you say such a thing! Apologize to your sister."

"…Sorry sis…." Stu looked down, his apology barley audible.

"It's alright Stu. I'm just glad to see you again."Elli smiled with her brown eyes.

Ellen looked down at the child, "Stu, why don't you go run off and wash up for dinner? I'll make you something special tonight."

Stu's face immediately brightened; "Yeah!" he cheered and bolted out the door. Elli watched him leave, then turned to her grandmother.

"Is there something you want to say, grandma?" Elli asked.

"I just want you to be careful dear. Wondering off into the woods isn't safe to do at night. You never know what could be waiting in the shadows."

Elli blushed, "Grandma! You sound just like Ann!" she giggled, "I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself! It's not like I'll get eaten by a werewolf or anything like that." She joked. Ellen didn't laugh.

"Just be careful dear. " Ellen whispered.

Elli began to feel very concerned. What was with people? She wasn't killed. It was just an accident. People were blowing it way out of proportion.

Elli began to feel much better a couple of days later. She could walk many steps now, with ease. She headed first to her full length mirror to analyze her wounds.

It was worse than she thought. Her face indeed looked like she had taken a beating. Her neck had a couple of pairs of cuts. Her back had two large slices right down the middle.

_There was a sound like someone cracking a twig beneath their feet. Elli turned swiftly around to see a dark shadow looming over her. She narrowed her eyes to make out who it was. She backed up slowly, not quite certain if it was friend of for._

"_My, my… Quite a pretty little thing, aren't you, sweetie?"_

_It sounded like a male's voice. One she didn't recognize, so she backed up farther._

"_Sit still little girl. I want to take a look at you…" he cooed gently._

_Elli began to panic and stumbled backward. She tripped over something, a rock. The figure wasted no time. Immediately he was on top of her, pinning her down to the cold grass._

"_Hello pretty girl. What's your name?"_

Elli let out a gasp of breath and shook her head. Tears fell from her eyes and she shook violently. Who was… that man…? Had she run into him at Mother's Hill? Yes… she remembered that voice now. She just didn't remember much else until he had asked for her name.

Tim entered the room casually, probably looking for something. When he saw Elli's crying shaking form, immediately he rushed to her. He put a hand on her shoulder and hugged her lightly.

"Elli… what happened?"

Elli shook her head, and managed to choke out a response "N-nothing. I'm fine… It's just… nothing."

Time looked suspicious, but didn't press this. "Make sure you're getting enough sleep, and water. Alright, Elli?"

She nodded weakly, "Of course… Doctor. I'm feeling better now. I think I'll take a walk. You know? To clear my head,"

Time nodded eventually, "Yes. Fresh air will do you good, actually. Just be careful not to get to hurt. If you feel weak, come straight back."

Elli smiled, "Thanks for worrying about me… It means a lot to me."

With that, she made her way outside. Everywhere she walked, people gave her looks of disgust (Manna and Anna basically) but most gave her sympathetic looks.

Elli found herself sitting at the beach, contemplating her thoughts. She really did feel much better. In fact, she was beginning to feel much stronger than she'd ever been. _I guess this falls into the category 'What does not kill me will make me stronger. Haha._ She laughed to herself.

No one was around to laugh with her however. It was beginning to grow dark, and the poor girl was immensely hungry. She sighed and began her walk back to the clinic. People gossiped and laughed and non-stop talked all around her.

_They can never be quiet…_ she thought and squeezed her head in pain.

The stars were coming out now, and Elli felt stronger than ever. She was hungrier than ever as well. _I need food… I need meat… blood…_


	3. 2 It begins

**This chapter gets pretty gory. Just warning you. If you don't want to read it, skip over the first italicized portion.**

_A dark creature made it's way through town late in the night. It moved swiftly, hiding whenever it saw a beam of light, or movement. It was looking for food, and it wouldn't stop until that need was met. It hopped atop the roof of the inn, waiting for a victim to make an appearance. It didn't have to wait long. A pretty young blonde woman, stumbled out of the inn, obviously drunk. The thing smirked to itself. This would be to easy._

_It jumped down from the roof with grace. It barely made a sound as it touched the stone walkway. The girl--Karen gasped out of surprise._

"_Oh… Hello. You scared me there for a minute. What are you doing up so late?"_

_The thing licked it's lips, and walked closer to it's prey._

"_I was just taking a walk. Want to go to the lake with me?" It said innocently._

_Karen grinned, "Sure. Why not?" _

_It walked in silence next to the beautiful girl. It couldn't have just fed at the inn. To many witnesses. They had to go someplace quiet. Once at the lake, the creature's stomach growled. It needed meat… now._

"_Nice night. Don't you think?" Karen stretched._

_The creature grinned, "Beautiful. But I'm dying of hunger."_

_Karen smiled, "I think I have something in my purse… Hang on."_

_While she searched, the creature took advantage of it's opportunity and pounced on Karen. Karen, shocked, asked what it was doing._

_It responded, "Dinner."_

_Karen's eyes widened in horror as the creature sank two long fangs into her neck. Karen struggled as it sucked up her blood, licking away the droplets slowly. Once Karen stopped struggling, it grinned broadly, and lifted her shirt up just slightly, then sank it's hungry teeth into her flesh, ripping off pieces of meat. It moaned at the delicious taste of it all. _

_It was getting close to dawn by the time it was finished with it's meal. It looked about, searching for witnesses. When it found none, it quickly discarded the remains in the lake, and sped off…_

Elli woke up with a severe head ache the next morning. She had had the most disgusting, and terrifying dream. Fortunately, she was feeling a lot better than she had the day before. She didn't feel negative, and she felt like she could walk five thousand miles, and climb the tallest mountains. She walked out of the clinic, feeling like a walk. She walked into Manna patting a sobbing Sasha on the back. Elli frowned, but continued on her way. She saw a confused looking Rick sitting on a bench, biting his lip nervously. She didn't know what was going on, but knew it couldn't be good.

She prepared to open the door to the supermarket, but was stopped when a very frazzled looking Jeff bolted out. "I'm sorry… The supermarket is closed today."

Elli frowned. _What's going on?_ She asked herself as she headed back to the clinic. Doctor was there, as was Carter. Elli heard them talking in low hushed whispers. She only picked up small portions of the conversation.

"They can't seem to find…"

"…Only been missing…"

"Yes but the family is worried…"

"I'll pray to the Goddess she is found…"

Elli shook her head and stepped between them, "Just what is going on here? Why is everyone acting so weird?"

Doctor looked straight into Elli's eyes, "Karen's gone missing."

Elli's jaw dropped. "How horrible! For how long?"

"Since last night. Sasha began to worry when her drunken daughter didn't return home by midnight as usual, but decided not to let it bother her. That is, until the next morning when Karen didn't come home."

Elli bit her lip. Tears slipped from her eyes. "That's awful. I can't believe it…"

Doctor patter her shoulder, "Don't worry. They'll find her soon."

It had been several days since Karen had gone missing. There was even a channel on the news called, "Calling for Karen." It went on the next few days with no luck whatsoever.

Elli had been feeling bloated the last few days. Every time food was pushed at her, she would refuse it. It was odd that she really wasn't hungry at all for a week straight. About a week after she had gone missing, Karen still hadn't been found and was presumed dead.

A memorial service was being held for her at the church. It was decorated in purple and green, Karen's favorite colors. Pictures of Karen were set up along the church. Candles were lit, and everyone wore black. Sasha was crying on Jeff's shoulder. Rick was sitting in front of a picture of Karen. Tears were cascading down his cheeks. Carter was reciting a prayer for the young woman, who was gone so quickly. No one was saying much, until Carter called for volunteers to tell their thoughts on Karen. Elli couldn't look up from her tears, but she heard Rick stumble through his words.

"Karen was… my best friend. We were together since we were kids. She was always so caring and kind to me. We argued a lot, but that's just what happens sometimes… Ah… excuse me." He chocked and wiped his eyes before continuing, "I loved Karen. With all my heart. I remember our first kiss. We were 10, and were playing a game of kick the can. I had fallen and scraped my knee. Of course,. I was crying like crazy. Karen called me a baby, but hugged me tightly. She then looked at me-- a dorky little kid, and kissed me on the lips. It was awkward and awful, but it was with her. She looked embarrassed all of a sudden and ran off. The next time we kissed was when we were teens. She was 16, and we were both at this party. Everyone younger than 20 was at that party. Karen was dared by Popuri to kiss me. She did it. It was a lot different then when we were 10. There was more passion in it then Popuri wanted to see, I'm sure. The next time we kissed didn't happen until a few months ago. Now we're both 20 and Karen had had quite a bit to drink. I was walking her home, carrying her practically, she was so drunk. At the door to the supermarket, Karen told me she loved me. I didn't think much of it, or I tried not to. She kissed me hard. I tried to push her away, but ended up kissing her back. Karen asked me to come inside and come to bed with her. I… was tempted but I knew I couldn't take advantage of her. I shook my head and told her to get to sleep. Karen pleaded with me, but I firmly said no. In the end, she turned and slammed the door in my face. That was the last time we kissed. I miss Karen, and her kisses. I just… love her so much. I wanted to get married and father her children. Now, it'll never be. I'm sorry Karen…" Rick stepped down from the podium and walked back to his pew.

Several other people got up and gave a speech about Karen. Some vowed vengeance to her. Others wished her to rest in peace. Others claimed she was in a better place. Elli couldn't bear listening to it. She left the church quickly after the speeches were done.

Ann met up with her at the beach. Elli was sitting on the shores, eyes red with sorrow. Ann sat down next to her, and squeezed her tightly.

"It's not your fault El. Things like this… just happen."

Elli cried, "Ann, how could you say that? Things like this… don't just happen! People don't just go missing in this village! I'm feeling… so guilty that I didn't do anything to help find her."

Ann frowned, "Don't beat yourself up about it. I'm sure everything will return to normal. They might even find her. "

Elli shook her head, "I don't know…"

Ann smiled at her friend, "You need to relax. Trust me." She kissed Elli's forehead innocently and walked off.

Elli cried into her knees. She felt weirdly guilty, but couldn't figure out why.

That night, Elli had a strange and fuzzy dream.

"_Don't be scared of me, little girl. I will get your name."_

_Elli saw herself crying with pain. The man that had her was beating her mercilessly. _

"_E-elli.. My name's Elli."_

_The man grinned, "What a pretty name." he pushed forward and kissed Elli, forcing his tongue in her mouth. Elli tried to resist, but when she did, the man inflicted pain on her, so she cooperated. The man was grinning wildly at her and violated her. Elli screamed in pain…_

She awoke with a start in the middle of the night. The pain from that night came back to her. She remembered this little bit that happened now. That's where the bruises came from. She'd been beaten, and raped, but she didn't remember anything else. She shook with fear, but tried to get back to sleep. When she finally managed…

_The dream was hazy. There were dark patches that interrupted her vision at some points. There was a dark flash and Karen was putting her hands up in defense. Whatever was chasing her pounced on her and slashed her up. Karen fainted._

Elli woke up sweating and shivering. Had what attacked her also gotten to Karen? She shook her head thinking about it. Maybe it was just a dream, and she should move on, but that dream haunted her for another few days. She told no one about it, not even Ann or the Doctor. She didn't tell either of them about her memories of that night. She wasn't sure what to make of all of this, and didn't want to worry anyone else. She cried herself to sleep every night, every night having the same dream about Karen.

**Hmm, that's the end to that chapter. Wow. I haven't updated this story in forever, but I think I'm getting into it again. I think I'm upping the rating though. Things will probably get more graphic, and I don't want to take any risks.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harvest Moon.**


	4. 3 Realization

**Here's the next installment. There's a bit of gore in this one too.**

Elli washed plates from dinner that night by hand. She needed something to do that would distract her from her thoughts. She'd been thinking about all of her dreams, and was trying to piece together what they could mean, but to no avail. It had been weeks since the memorial service was held for Karen. It would seem things were getting back to normal, but Elli could tell the town was still haunted by it.

All of Elli's wounds had healed by now, except for the two slices down her back. It looked as if they scarred. She asked the Doctor about it, and he had said it may take longer to heal, or it may stick with her forever.

_It was late at night, a little past midnight. It needed to feed… after all, it hadn't gotten a bite to eat in a month. It searched the town hungrily for victims, but found no one. No one in this hick town would be up so late… then it heard a giggle coming from the beach._

_Swiftly, it glided and soared to the beach with two powerful wings. Once at the beach, the wings retracted into it's back, as if to hide them. It saw a pink haired girl wrapped up in a blanket with a dark man. It waited until the two of them rose._

"_Do you want me to walk you home, Popuri?" asked the dark man._

"_Nah. It's alright Kai. If Rick sees you at my house… you know."_

_Kai nodded, "If you say so. See you tomorrow, babe." He kissed her cheek and started off alone._

_Popuri stayed standing for a few moments, sighing in happiness, before she finally started to walk home._

_It jumped down from it's hiding spot and crept up behind her… Popuri stopped walking, sure that she'd heard something. After a little while, she decided it was nothing. The creature suddenly lashed out and grabbed the young lady, covering her mouth so she couldn't scream. It ran it's long slender fingers across the girls white neck, licking it's lips. _

_Popuri shivered, and squeezed her eyes shut. "It's alright… I'm dreaming. I'm dreaming…"_

_It grinned at Popuri's words. "Yes…" it whispered in her ears. "You're just having a nightmare." It laughed, "Oh, how you wish it was a dream, dearie." Carefully, it turned the girl around, licking it's lips. It wanted so badly to dig in… but it wanted to mess with it's prey first._

_Popuri gasped. "You? Are you trying to scare me or something?" Suddenly she was laughing. "Good one! I almost fell for it!"_

_It glared. How dare anyone call it a joke? It lashed forward and bit into her neck, piercing the soft skin and sucking up the blood eagerly. Popuri gasped in pain. She sputtered and struggled against the creature. It had meant to just drink a little bit, just to show her that it meant business, but couldn't stop. Her blood was so… sweet tasting. Unlike Karen's whose was thin and sour, this girl's was thick and sweet._

_It moved a strand of the girl's pink hair back for easier access and drained what was left in that area. Popuri crumbled to the ground once let go of. It smacked it's lips and moaned, the taste still in it's mouth. The creature ripped off the girl's dress, grazing it's fingers across her stomach. Surprisingly, Popuri shivered. Apparently, she was still holding on by a string. The creature grinned and bit into the girl's twig thin arm, eating viciously. Popuri cried out and stopped moving altogether, dead. The creature grinned with delight and finished off the rest of the girl rather quickly, discarding the remains in the lake. (After it had flown there)_

Elli woke with a strange desire to see Rick's family. For some odd reason, thinking about them brought a smile to her face. She got dressed and made the choice to head to poultry farm. She was surprised to find almost the whole town there. Rick was crying at the fireplace and Lillia was patting his back. Elli cocked her head and turned around. Doctor stood in front of her.

"What happened?" she asked.

"Popuri's gone missing. She didn't come home last night. Aki said the last time he saw her was on the beach."

"Oh my… Not again." Elli frowned. Doctor nodded

"Yes… It's rather peculiar, no? First Karen, then Popuri. Strange."

Popuri hadn't returned, and it was days later… Things were definitely strange.

_The creature had the desire for flesh again, and it had only been a couple of days since it's last feeding. It was early in the evening this time, about 8:30 pm. The desire for flesh was overpowering, and it needed blood. It needed more of that pink haired girl's blood. Unfortunately she was long gone. Fortunately… she had family…_

_It made it's way to the poultry farm, feeling daring. It knew the boy of this family was always at the bar at this time, so this would be easy. It also knew that the son wouldn't return until about 11, so there was plenty of time. It stepped inside, only to find Lillia crying in front of the fireplace. It would have to act fast, as there were only2 and a half hours. It approached the frail woman, thinking it wouldn't be hard to overpower her. It was right. _

_With ease, the creature grabbed Lillia by the neck and snapped it. Lillia crumbled, dead. It grinned and ran it's tongue along her neck, picking the perfect spot to bite. It looked for the softest, ripest spot and bit down, drinking it all in. About an hour had passed, and it had broken through the back window, again disposing of the body in the lake. It wiped it's mouth, remembering the sweet syrupy like taste of the Poultry family's blood._

The days went on and Lillia was found to be missing. The whole town was shaking in fear. As was Elli. She couldn't believe all of this was happening. Part of her wondered if the man who had hurt her, also gotten to these people and killed them? She didn't know and she wasn't quite sure she wanted to find out. She stayed by herself most of the time, trying to make sense of it . She talked to Ann, but not as much as she used to. Ann was really the only one who cared about her, it seemed. Of course, people were disappearing, and there were more important things than her… but…

She and Ann tried to crack the system. They tried to figure out where this killer would strike next. It would seem that he only went after the girls of the town. So far, they had only been light haired girls who owned businesses. They couldn't put their fingers on it, but they assumed the next victim could be anyone really. Even either of them. The murders seemed to only happen at night, so the two friends vowed to stay in the cellar with doors locked together, until the killer was found.

Elli's dreams haunted her every night. They were always of the night she was attacked. Tonight she uncovered more of it.

"_P-please. Let me go…" Elli was pleading, begging him, but he laughed and stroked her face. He had inflicted many wounds on her already, and now announced that he would finish it. Elli saw herself crying, and the memory came flooding back._

_The man lowered his head to her neck and pierced her soft skin with razor sharp teeth. Elli screamed loudly as he sucked on her neck, drinking up the blood that flowed inside her. She sa herself growing weaker. It looked like she was done for…_

_A flash of light shined in their direction._

"_Is there anyone there? Are you ok?" It was the voice of that new farmer, Claire. Elli saw herself shivering and bleeding, but she did not see the man that had attacked her. It was like he vanished._

_Claire rushed to Elli's side, "Oh my God! Don't worry. We'll get you to the hospital."_

_It faded to black, and switched to Karen backing away. Delicate, yet powerful looking hands stretched toward her. They looked familiar…_

_There was a flash and Popuri was in view. Elli stirred in her sleep, unaware that she was smiling. And licking her lips. Popuri screamed and fell down, pleading like Karen did. A familiar female voice cackled evilly and told the girl she was destined for her._

_The scene switched to inside the poultry farm. Lillia was sitting in front of the fireplace. Elli saw a darkened silhouette step forward… All she could make out was a small frame and short hair. Quickly and briefly, the head of the killer turned around. The eyes were so familiar… So big and brown. Something was different then she was used to. There was some darkness where she was used to innocence. But whose eyes…_

Elli woke with a start, sweating and gasping. "Oh my God… It was me…"

**So she finally realizes who has been killing everyone off, and what happened to her on that night. What will she do about it?**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harvest Moon.**

**Reviews are loved. :D**


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